1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to anti-malware technology, and more particularly, to balancing relatively quick (but less thorough) anti-malware checks with more thorough, but also more time-consuming, anti-malware checks.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the problems in the field of anti-virus software is the fact that many users are unwilling to wait for a long time for the anti-virus software to do its work. As a practical matter, most users are willing to wait a fraction of a second, perhaps a second or two, when starting an application, but are rarely willing to wait substantially longer than that. On the other hand, in such a relatively short period of time, only the more rudimentary anti-virus checks are possible. This presents a problem for the anti-virus software vendor, because the need to check the executable file being launched for viruses must be balanced against the amount of time that a thorough anti-virus check would take.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system and method for a more effective antivirus check of new programs that carry a higher risk of virus infection.